The Leftover

Williams (After the Final Dandelion) asks readers to buy into several wacky plot points in her contemporary romance: a Nebraska television station produces local versions of reality TV series like Accept this Dandelion (The Bachelorette) and The Leftover (Survivor); heroine Megan Malone, an almost 30-year-old voice actress who suffers from social anxiety, agrees to pinch-hit for her unexpectedly pregnant sister as a contestant on The Leftover; and Megan has never been kissed. Her love interest is a medic on the series named Cane Trevino, previously a spurned finalist on Accept this Dandelion. The cherry on top of this unbelievable sundae is that Cane never considers that he may be fired for their admittedly G-rated romance, even though, in real life, an uncrossable line exists between contestants and crew. For the reader, the biggest question when reading is not whether Megan will be the Leftover, but which of these impossible plot elements is most unforgivable. (Sept.)